Three foreign-born residents have filed a lawsuit against the Japanese government alleging racial discrimination and seeking more than $20,000 in compensation each.
Three plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in a Tokyo court earlier this week, alleging that Japanese police discriminated against them when questioning them based on their skin color, nationality and other racial factors.
Matthew, who moved to Japan from India more than 20 years ago after getting married and becoming a Japanese citizen, said he was constantly stopped and questioned on the streets by police, sometimes twice a day. It got so bad that he was afraid to leave his home.
Syed Zain, who is of Pakistani descent, believes that Japanese people have a perception that people born abroad like him will commit crimes. "I cooperate with the police because I think it's important to ensure public safety. But when this happens more than 10 times, I really start to have doubts," he said.
Maurice, an American, said he hopes the lawsuit will raise awareness among Japanese people about the issue of racism.
From left to right: Syed Zain, Maurice and Matthew outside the Tokyo court, Japan on January 29. Photo: AFP
The three plaintiffs asked the Japanese government, the Tokyo metropolitan government and Aichi prefecture to compensate 3 million yen (more than 20,000 USD) each.
The Aichi prefectural government declined to comment on individual cases, but said its police officers are trained in "respecting human rights " and are committed to carrying out their duties in accordance with the prefecture's human rights regulations.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government also said it enacted a human rights ordinance in 2019, provided relevant training for police officers, and conductededucational activities on respecting the human rights of citizens, including foreigners, and eliminating racial discrimination.
Foreign-born Japanese citizens make up about 2.3 percent of the East Asian nation's population, the lowest proportion among countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
The Japanese use the word "hafu", meaning half, to refer to people who are half-Japanese. This shows that people of foreign descent are discriminated against even if they are Japanese citizens.
Japan has seen a number of controversies over racial stereotypes over the years. In 2019, noodle maker Nissin apologized after being accused of “whitewashing” tennis star Naomi Osaka, who is half-Haitian and half-Japanese. In its animated commercials, Naomi Osaka was portrayed as having fair skin, brown hair, and Caucasian features.
A beauty pageant in Japan also sparked controversy this month when it crowned Ukrainian-born model Karolina Shiino as the “representative beauty of all Japanese women.” Critics debated whether someone of non-Japanese descent could represent the country’s beauty standards.
Song Shiino, a naturalized citizen in Nagoya since she was five, said she considers herself "completely Japanese" and wants to be recognized. "We live in a diverse era where diversity is necessary," she said.
Thanh Tam (According to CNN, NHK, AFP )
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